Tainted Love
by tobria
Summary: The story of two dastardly A-team members falling in love, all while causing pain and misery to some particularly pretty little liars.
1. Prologue

Tainted Love: Prologue

_Hi guys! And thank you so much for reading my fan fiction! For starters, I don't want to give away too much yet. I kind of want the ending of the story to be a bit of a surprise. I know it's not a completely conventional pairing, but bear with me. I promise lots of cute and angsty feels for you and I hope you enjoy the story! ^_^_

It was a typical summer night in Rosewood, Pennsylvania. The perfectly pristine small suburban town not too far from Philadelphia was alive with the sound of people enjoying their last days of vacation before heading back to school and work. Yes, it was Labor Day weekend and there were many pool parties and backyard barbeques to be had. Unfortunately, the long weekend wasn't fun and festive for everyone in Rosewood. For four pretty little girls, the weekend was one that would always be filled with tragedy and regret.

It was on this day only a few years ago that their best friend, Alison DiLaurentis went missing. A year later, they found her body buried under dirt in her own backyard. But that wasn't before her friends began getting threatening and harrassing text messages from a mysterious stalker named A. This invisible figure had managed to make their lives miserable. He, or she, or...it, seemed to know every single minute detail of their lives, which of course, included all their dirty little secrets. And these four girls had plenty of them, and A had absolutely no problem revealing them. However, A wasn't a completely ruthless psychopath. A kept her lips sealed as long as the girls did exactly what A asked them to.

The four girls, named Aria Montgomery, Spencer Hastings, Emily Fields, and Hanna Marin, were all headed to the barn in the back of Spencer's huge, sprawling backyard. The barn was the last place they saw their dear friend, Ali alive. Coming here on the anniversary of her death had almost become a tradition for the clique. They'd steal some booze from their parent's liquor cabinets and go back and just hang out, reflect on the good times they had with Alison, even though they came few and far between the bad memories.

The dead teenager was capable of being one's best friend, or her worst enemy. She could bring you up, and make you feel like the shinest, most rare diamond in the world. But she also had this way of finding things out about her friends, and using it against them. It was her favorite past time. The girl valued secrets more than anything. The thing was that Alison didn't just have dirt on her four minions. She had something on the majority of Rosewood's residents. Which makes the mystery of her death even more intriguing. The number of people who wanted Ali dead was alarming. It could have been anyone...even one of the best friends she trusted with her life.

As the girls walked into the barnhouse and made themselves comfortable, they all looked at each other, almost as if they were wondering the same thing. If Ali could see us now... Where would they be if Ali was still alive today? Would she be proud of the improvements they'd made to their lives? Or would she be disappointed?

Aria Montgomery had gone through a metamorphosis during her stay in Iceland. The kooky, weird girl from Rosewood that carried around a pig puppet named Pigtunia, had returned from Europe sophisticated and cool. She acquired an interest in modern art, and older boys, just like her old BFF Alison. Upon arriving back in Rosewood, Aria met a stunningly attractive guy named Ezra Fitz. It was love at first sight. Until, of course, they found out he was her English teacher, and she, his pupil. But even with that little tidbit of information, their relationship was still going strong. But not without a little help, of course.

Spencer Hastings had always been the over-achiever. The straight A student, the class president, the star of every school play. But even with all of her bright, shining achievements, she was stuck in the shadow of her older sister, Melissa. It seemed like Spencer could do nothing to knock Melissa off her perfect throne. But one thing the little sister had over her big was her popularity with Melissa's boyfriends. It seemed as if the boys couldn't keep their hands, or rather, lips, off of the younger Hastings. But there was only one boy in particular Spencer had her eyes on. And that was Rosewood's resident brooding bad boy, Toby Cavanaugh. Their love had been put through the ringer, but they were still together. Ali would be rolling in her grave if she saw the two of them together.

Emily Fields was the group's sweetly shy girl. She was the athlete. The top swimmer at Rosewood High. But she wasn't unlike her three other friends, though. She had her fair share of secrets, too. Thankfully, Emily had been able to survive hers somewhat. The girl had been out as a lesbian for some time now, and was happy with a girl named Paige, another one of Alison's many enemies. Emily came out of the closet thanks to A, of course, but she was also helped along by her first girlfriend, Maya. Maya showed Emily that it was okay to be who she was, and that being gay wasn't a bad thing. Their love story came to a tragic end when Maya was murdered. But even though Maya was Em's first girlfriend, she'd never be her first love. That title belonged to Alison. Unfortunately, that love was always unrequited, or was it? Guess no one will ever know...

And finally there was Hanna Marin. Or Hefty Hanna, as Ali remembered her. While Alison was still alive, Hanna was a chubby, dorky, loser. Her parents divorce had caused Hanna to begin binge eating, and Ali had shown the girl a way to get rid of the food and the regret. Fast forward to a few years later, and Hanna, along with her (former) best friend, Mona Vanderwaal, ruled the school. The two girls, like Aria, had gone through a transformation. Hanna had shed the pounds, and Mona got rid of her nerdy pigtails and glasses, and had become the it girls to Rosewood High. Girls wanted to be them, and boys wanted to be with them. They'd definitely give Ali a run for her money, if she were still around.

And now here they were sitting in a circle in Spencer's barnhouse. It seemed as if they were all lost in thought. The first person to speak was Hanna.

"Okay, it's way too quiet in here. Somebody break out the alcohol already." Hanna smirked.

Aria rolled her eyes playfully and pulled a bottle of vodka out of the bag she had brought with her, along with 4 cups.

Spencer took the bottle from Aria's hand, looking it over with a raised eyebrow, "Pretty fancy bottle of booze you got there." She said, opening the bottle, she took a whiff and pushed it away from her nose, blinking with a shake of her head, "And...strong, too."

Aria pursed her lips, grabbing the bottle back, "My father got it as a gift back in Iceland, thank you very much." She replied teasingly as she began to pour the liquid into the glasses, handing one to each girl.

As Emily took her cup, the black-haired girl furrowed her eyebrows, "Won't your dad notice that some of the vodka's gone from the bottle?" she asked.

Aria paused for a second before scrunching up her face and shaking her head, "No. He hardly ever looks in there." She answered.

"Does that even matter?" Hanna asked, "I'm pretty sure drinking the vodka is a lot more fun than worrying about whether or not Aria's dad will notice it's gone." She added before bringing her cup to her lips.

Spencer scoffed, her hand going to Hanna's arm in an attempt to stop her from taking a drink. "Hanna, no. Shouldn't we, like...I dunno...say something about Ali first?" she suggested, her eyes moving between each of her three friends.

"Spence's right." Emily agreed, "I mean...she's the reason we're all here tonight, right? To remember her?" After a second, she began to speak again, raising her cup in the air slightly, "Here's to Alison DiLaurentis. You're gone but...it still feels like you're here with us. We wish you were, that is." She muttered.

The other three girls all suddenly exchanged uneasy glances. Almost as if they were glad that Ali was gone. No one could exactly say they could be blamed for that, however. After the way the four friends were almost bullied by Ali, how could anyone feel anything besides relief over the girls' death? Not that the girls weren't sad about it, but at least the games were over...with Ali, at least.

Regardless of how the girls felt about their late, great, friends, they all raised their cups and said, "To Ali" in unison before finally taking a sip.

Turns out all the girls needed to loosen up about a tense topic was a little bit of alcohol. After that, they spent the night laughing, talking and reflecting about their friendship with Alison. However, it didn't take very long for the effect of the alcohol to start kicking in, and before long the girls were starting to fall asleep.

"Guys? Guys. Wake up!"

Spencer, Emily and Hanna awoke with a start when they heard Aria's frantic words.

"How long were we out for?" Hanna asked groggily as she wiped a drop of drool from the corner of her lip.

Spencer picked her cell phone up off the coffee table, "It's 2:30 in the morning!" She said before groaning, "I told my parents I'd be home by midnight. We have to go to Philly for-

"Can we all stop worrying about what time it is for one second?!" Aria cut her off, "I think we have more important matters at hand." She said shakily as she pointed towards the doll that sat on the couch right next to Emily.

The sight made the tan girl practically jump out of her seat. The porcelain doll, which the girls had become quite accustomed to seeing, was strikingly similar to what Ali looked like on the last day of her life, right down to the flowy yellow tank top she had been wearing. In front of it was a Happy Anniversary card.

The four girls stood up, backing away slowly, as if the doll was going to come alive and attack them at any minute. They all stared at the toy for several seconds until Spencer spoke up, "Isn't someone going to read the card?"

"Do we really have to?" Emily asked.

The friends all stared at each other nervously until Hanna finally threw her hands up and huffed, "I'll read it." She said in a slightly annoyed tone. She stepped forward and picked the card up. The other three crowded around her as she opened it. There was a handwritten message inside. She began to read:

Don't act like you're not as jazzed about this day as I am, little liars. It was on this day only 4 short years ago that your suffering from Alison ended. And it was only 3 short years ago that your suffering from me began. Happy Anniversary, Bitches. Here's to many, many more happy years! –A

Hanna tossed the card on the couch in frustration, rolling her eyes.

"So what the hell does this mean?" Spencer snapped, "That A's going to be there on our first day of college? On our wedding day?"

"If we even make it to those days." Emily muttered miserably.

"Don't talk like that, Em." Hanna said quietly.

There was a long silence between the friends, all four pairs of eyes slowly moving back towards the doll. It almost looked as if it were watching them, mocking them.

"I think I'm gonna head home." Aria decided.

Spencer nodded in agreement, "Yeah. Me too."

Emily looked at Hanna, "Wanna stay at my place tonight?"

"Yeah," Hanna replied, gulping "Sounds good."

They all said an awkward goodbye to each other before grabbing their things and exiting the barn. Spencer took the quick walk across her own yard back into her house. Once she got into her room, she closed her curtains, sighing shakily as she turned off her lights and went to bed. Hanna followed Emily back to her car and the two girls drove back to Emily's house. It was an eerily quiet drive.

And Aria hugged her jacket to her body, walking home in the chilly night air all alone. However, there was no longer a look of fear or discomfort on her face. Instead, there was a calm, almost sinister grin on her face.

What Spencer, Hanna and Emily didn't know, what they would never know, was that Aria had never taken the drink of vodka that had caused her friends to pass out. They also didn't know that the vodka they had drank was laced with a roofie that allowed Aria, or big A, to complete her dirty work, along with an unlikely ally whom Aria was on her way to meet right now.

She made her way out of Spencer's yard, heading for the woods behind her house, their rendezvous spot, her smile lightened when she saw him standing there in his black hoodie.

"Did you see their faces?" She asked with a quiet laugh, looking up at him.

"Priceless." He answered, "You were a pretty good actress, too. You definitely made me wanna come in and comfort you. Poor little thing." He added teasingly.

Aria smirked, her arms wrapping around his waist, "Oh, no, baby. Don't feel sorry for me. I'm having too much fun making those bitches pay." She said, a hint of…regret in her voice that one wouldn't have caught if they hadn't been paying attention.

"And we're doing an excellent job of that, aren't we?" He said proudly with a smirk before leaning down, pressing his lips against hers.

Aria giggled quietly into the kiss, "Whoever thought that Toby Cavanaugh would end up being my partner in crime?" She muttered against his lips, curling hers up into a grin.

"That's what makes it so perfect. Nobody expects it." He whispered, "And we work so perfectly together anyway."

Aria pulled away, biting her lip with a smile as she nodded her head. The smile faded and an alert expression overtook her face when she heard a twig snap.

Toby's head snapped up, his eyes moving around quickly. He took the petite brunette's hand, "C'mon. Let's get back to the lair." He said in a hushed tone as he quickly pulled her in the direction of his pick-up truck, driving in the night, headed for A's headquarters.


	2. Chapter 1: A Deal With The Devil

Tainted Love: Chapter 1: A Deal With The Devil

_Hello again, Readers! So yeah! The mystery pairing is Toby and Aria. I know. Random, huh? The idea was mostly inspired by my shipping of Lucy Hale and Keegan Allen. And you never see them together on the show like…ever, so I thought it would be an interesting relationship to explore. Also…ARIA IS ON THE A-TEAM :-O I know! It's going to be super fun to write her like that because she's my favorite character on the show. I'm really excited to keep this story going. Your guys' motivation is really helping and I want to write an awesome story for you. Thank you for all the support! This chapter is very Toby-centered, but I promise you'll get some TobesxAria interaction next chapter! Either way, I hope you enjoy! ^_^_

_-Six Months Earlier-_

"I just want to know what's going on, Spencer." Toby demanded as he followed his girlfriend into her house. They walked, or rather stormed, towards the kitchen where Spencer finally spoke.

She rested her hands against the counter, shaking her head, staring at him for a moment, "Have you ever stopped to think that maybe that's because nothing's going on?"

"Not for a second." He retorted, folding his arms across his chest, "It's never just nothing. Not with you and your friends." He sighed, blinking as he quickly looked away, "You've been acting weird again. Acting…like you used to before Mona was in Radley. Back when she was A."

Spencer forced herself not to wince at the mention of A. It had kind of become a knee-jerk reaction whenever anyone brought A or Mona up anymore. And if she could be completely honest, she thought that A's torture had been over, too, once Mona was sent away to the Radley mental institution. Unfortunately, even with Mona holed up in the looney bin, A had still managed to continue her punishment against the liars. Was it still Mona? Or was someone else pulling the strings?

Spencer quickly turned away and got a coffee cup from the cupboard and poured herself some, keeping her back turned towards him as her mind worked a mile a minute for a good story. She couldn't tell him the truth; that A was still ruining her and her friends lives. She didn't want to make him worry. He'd done enough of that for a lifetime, thanks to her. She and the girls had dealt with A's shenanigans by themselves all these years, it'd become a part of their life. They felt an almost dissonance in their lives when A wasn't present, sending them text messages or otherwise dishing out torture.

After what seemed like minutes, Spencer finally spoke. "I guess…it just…it hasn't sunk in yet." She started, "That Mona is gone. That she can't bother us anymore. I've gone so long having to look over my shoulder, that I don't know what it feels like to not have to do that anymore." She looked down, fidgeting with a ring on her finger. She was proud of the story she had created, but she didn't want to show it.

But it seemed like regardless of the explanation Spencer gave him, Toby wasn't completely ready to buy it. He stared at her for a long moment, as if he were studying her, looking for any sign of dishonesty. When Spencer turned back around, he looked her square in the eye, something she obviously was not expecting. She gulped, avoiding eye contact with him as her fingers drummed idly against the countertop. "If something was going on, if…if A was back, I'd let you know." She lied…again.

Toby gave his girlfriend a tight smile and a slow nod of his head. "I believe you." Apparently, he had some lies of his own. He lifted his arm up, looking down at the watch on his wrist before glancing back up at her, "Hey. I gotta get ready for work." He said as he stepped towards her, "I'll call you tonight, okay?" he added before leaning across the counter to kiss Spencer on the lips. He gave her a parting smile before turning and walking back out the door.

There was no point in pressing Spencer for more answers. She obviously wasn't going to tell him anything. Toby didn't know why she had to protect A, but he sure as hell was going to find out. And he knew the perfect way.

He sat in his pick-up truck for several minutes, lost in thought. His eyes kept flickering towards the glove compartment. The small box hadn't been opened in a long while. He had been too afraid to open it. He had put something inside there that he had been too ashamed that he had kept. He had always wanted to get rid of it, but in the back of his mind, he always knew that it would someday become useful. And it turns out that day had finally come. With a long, heavy sigh he reached over and opened up the glove compartment. A little piece of paper almost fell out, but he caught it first. He held it in his hands for a few minutes without unfolding it. His mind went back to the day when he'd first received the piece of paper.

_-Two Years Ago-_

_Toby sat in the tiny visitor room at Rosewood Penitentiary. He didn't get visitors often, so the area was unfamiliar to him. He waited impatiently to see just who was visiting him that day. It couldn't be his family, visits from them were scarce, and they'd already shown up for the week. In the back of his mind, he thought it could've been Emily. Heck, he almost wished it was her. He didn't want to believe that she and her friends had been the ones to rat him out. Maybe she was here to provide an explanation for him and restore his faith in her once again. _

_But his dreams were shattered when that door opened, and a corrections officer ushered…Mona Vanderwaal into the room. A look of utter confusion crossed the juvenile inmate's face as he watched her walk in and take a seat at the table across from him._

"_You have ten minutes. No funny business." The corrections officer warned before walking out of the room and closing the door behind him._

_After a long, quiet minute, Mona's eyes began to move around the tiny room. "Nice digs you got here, Toby." She started._

_Toby leaned back in his chair, folding his arms across his chest, "You can cut the crap, Vanderwaal." He replied impatiently. "How about you stop commenting on my living arraignments, and start telling me why the hell you're here?"_

"_You just suck the fun out of everything, don't you?" She rolled her eyes, that smirk never leaving her face. She leaned forward against her arms on the top of the table. "You and I both know how and why you're in here. You trusted those bitches, and this is what they do." She let out a mirthless chuckle, "You should know by now, Toby, that those girls are only out for themselves. They learned from the best._

_Mona sighed, "Even though this is your mess. This was your mistake, trusting them. I am willing to offer you a way to get your glorious revenge."_

_Toby leaned forward, "Who said I was interested in revenge?" He barked back, "Maybe all I want to do, is finish my time here, even if I don't deserve it, get out and get as far away from Rosewood as possible. I have nothing here. Nothing tying me to this shithole. Revenge just sounds like another thing that'll keep me here for longer than I want to be."_

_What Toby said was so funny, Mona had to laugh. She covered her mouth for a second, composing herself before replying, "You're kidding, right? Need I remind you, that this isn't your first time here because of Alison and her lackeys."_

_The surprise on Toby's face was undeniable._

_A proud grin appeared on the girl's face, "You didn't think anybody knew about that, did you? Yes, little Toby Cavanaugh took the fall for blame for his sister's blindness. But it was Ali who was responsible, right?" she recalled, proving to him that she knew about it._

_Toby rolled his eyes, letting out an annoyed sigh. "So how did you find out?" He asked, "Were you lurking in the shadows that night? Did you make a deal with Ali?" He added almost frantically._

_Mona put her hand up, cutting off any more questions, "Now, now…I can't give away all my secrets." She said before pausing. She pulled something out of her coat pocket and slowly slid it towards him. "You might not be familiar with our work yet, but Emily and her friends are. We have dirt of each of them. And we plan to bury them with it." A smug smirk crossed her face, "And we'd like for you to join us. You'll find that working with us will provide you plenty of benefits, as well." Mona let out a calm sigh, her shoulders slumping a bit, "It's not…like we're not giving those girls anything they don't deserve. It's been a long time coming." She slowly stood up once the door reopened and the corrections officer appeared, ready to escort Mona back outside. _

_The girl turned her head back towards Toby, looking down at him with one final plea. "Don't count us out yet. Please consider it." She gave him an insincere smile before turning back around and walking out of the room, leaving Toby alone with a decision to make. _

The young man was snapped back to present day by a car horn from behind him. He looked in his rearview mirror to see Mrs. Hastings getting out of her car. She gave him a wave before picking up her briefcase and heading towards the house. He pursed his lips, giving his girlfriend's mom a half-assed wave back before quickly tossing the piece of paper back into the glove compartment and slamming it shut. He took a deep breath as he turned his car on and headed back towards his loft.

He had never thought he would be thinking about this again. After Mona left that piece of paper with him back at the prison, he had wanted to toss it out right away, but something stopped him. Instead, he went back to his cell and hid it, never speaking of it, or thinking about it again. The next time he saw it was the day he left, ending up in his glove compartment, where it would sit to this day.

And now that he was back at home, that paper was back in his pocket. He paced around his living room, mulling his decision over in his head about a million times. If he went along with what he had planned, he would literally be making a deal with the devil. And there would be no turning back. But he couldn't deny that he was worried about Spencer. Something was obviously going on that she wasn't telling him about. How else was he supposed to help her, if he didn't know what was going on? And how else we he supposed to find out, if she wouldn't tell him?

Desperate times called for desperate measures. And if Spencer wasn't going to offer up any information, he was going to have to find it himself. If it meant siding with the enemy, then so be it. He could see things from the inside, maybe get a step ahead. He plopped himself down on the couch, pulling the piece of paper out of his pocket, and finally unfolding it, his eyes moving across the phone number written inside.

He closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose as he leaned back on the couch. No. He wasn't going to do this. He wasn't going to stoop to that level. He wasn't going to join the people who were the cause of misery to his girlfriend and her friends for so many years.

But he had to. To Toby, this was his only way of figuring out what the hell was going on with Spencer. And it wouldn't be siding with them, would it? He'd be using them for information only. He was well aware of where his loyalties lied. He finally opened his eyes back up, sitting forward as he looked back down at the piece of paper he had been holding. He picked up his cell phone and carefully dialed the number, pressing send. After a couple rings, a gravely distorted voice picked up.

"State your name." The voice demanded

For a minute, Toby almost considered giving them a fake name. But they'd figure that out eventually. And it probably wasn't smart to lie to these people anyway. So he clearly replied, "Toby Cavanaugh."

He heard a click and then another distorted voice came on the line, "It's about time you contacted us, Mr. Cavanaugh."

Toby let out a sharp breath through his nose, pursing his lips in annoyance, but said nothing. So the voice continued.

"I'm going to assume that you're calling, because you're interested in joining us?"

Another pause.

"I'm gonna need an answer, Toby."

Toby rolled his eyes to himself, "Yes." He stated simply.

"Smart choice, Mr. Cavanaugh. Of course, before we can fully ingratiate you into our little group, you'll have to prove your loyalty. We'll need to prove your usefulness to the group."

"Yeah, yeah. Just tell me what I need to do." He said shortly.

"Your escort will be in front of your loft building in 10 minutes. She will lead you to our headquarters where your evaluation will commence. See you then, Mr. Cavanaugh."

After that the line went dead, meaning the call was over. Toby didn't even have time to think about what was about to happen. Like clockwork, a black car pulled up to the curb ten minutes later. Toby sat there by himself for a long minute. It was as if his brain were trying to tell him that he needed to think this through before selling his soul.

He shook his head once more, reminding himself that he was doing this for Spencer, to protect her. So he grabbed his truck keys and jacket and headed out of his loft again. Once he got to his truck, the black car pulled away from the curb, driving slowly enough for Toby to catch up and follow.

He tried his best to concentrate on everything during the drive there. Every turn, every stoplight, every lamppost, knowing it would serve as useful in the future.

Before long, the black car in front of him finally pulled into a parking garage that belonged to an apartment. Once they were both parked, Toby waited in his truck, watching as the driver of the black car stepped out. Whoever it was, was wearing a black hoodie, so he couldn't tell. Finally, Toby got out of his car, shoving his hands in his pocket as he followed the mystery person from a distance. The hoodie stopped in front of a door, pulling a key out of the pocket of the jacket. Once the door was opened, the person slipped into the apartment and waited for Toby to follow suit.

His heart was pounding as he approached what he could only assume was A's headquarters. He didn't know what to expect when he got inside. There could've been a gun that was ready to go off when he stepped through the door. But that's not what he saw at all when he came inside. No, what he saw was far more terrifying. He tried to keep his eyes from wandering but it was hard, as he looked upon bulletin boards filled with pictures and notes about the four girls. Every little thing A did to them was documented here. There literally wasn't a piece of their lives that hadn't been tracked by A. And these girls had been dealing with this stuff for the past few years. Toby wasn't even sure how they were still standing. He wasn't exactly sure he would be.

While his mind was working on overdrive, the person who had lead him here had since taken off her hoodie and revealed herself as Mona. His eyes widened before he glared. "You're supposed to be in Radley." He almost growled.

"No, you're supposed to think I'm still in Radley. Do you realize how easy it is to get out of there?" She asked with a proud smile. "But we're not here to discuss the extremely lacking security that our local looney bin has. No, there's more important business at hand, isn't there?" She asked, staring at him. She rolled her head back to the side, eyes still locked on him, "He's here." She shouted back.

Nothing could prepare him for who walked into that room. Mona's eyes moved back and forth between the two, amusedly smiling to herself. She probably would've grabbed popcorn, if she could have, to witness this.

"You better have a damn good explanation for this, Aria." He snarled, his hands subconsciously clenching into fists.

A deer-in-the-headlights expression overtook Aria's face as she looked back at Mona, who only shrugged innocently at her.

Aria looked back at Toby, as if she were trying to think of a way to cover her tracks. She knew she was in deep shit. But how was she going to get herself out of this? How could she explain that she was part of the group that had done such horrible things to not only her friends, but herself?

She quickly glanced back towards Mona. "I need to speak to you in private." She said flatly as she unceremoniously yanked Mona away.


	3. Chapter 2: Blind Trust

Tainted Love: Chapter 2: Blind Trust

_Hey guys! Sorry this took so long to get out. I kind of went through a small bout of writer's block. I can't say it won't happen again, but I will always try to get a chapter out for you as soon as possible. I won't let this story die. I love it too much. And I love you guys so much for all of your support and awesome words! You definitely keep me motivated when it comes to writing. I'm not all that crazy about this chapter. It was actually kind of hard to write because we don't really know much about the A-team yet, but…I tried. Therefore, no one should judge me for it. Anyway! Let's get onto some A-team bidness, yeah?_

Toby took a tentative step forward, trying his best to listen closely to the conversation that the two girls were having. But they spoke in hushed voices so it was hard to hear.

"What the _hell _is wrong with you, Mona?" She barked angrily.

"We've wanted him for a long time. And now that I was finally able to get him, you're going to bitch at me for it?" Mona argued in response.

Aria rolled her eyes, her hands going to her hips, "Well, a little warning would've been nice." She glared at Mona, "You had this planned, didn't you? You planned for this to happen for your own sick enjoyment." She accused.

"I think you're forgetting about the fact that I. Got. Him. Here." She enunciated every word, her face getting closer and closer to Aria's as she spoke.

Suddenly, a cleared throat pulled them out of their private conversation. Both girls looked towards an impatient looking Toby, arms folded across his chest.

Aria pursed her lips, pushing Mona away from her with one hand as she stepped back towards Toby. "So what brings you here today?" She asked with a fake smile, crossing her arms against her chest.

"You know why I'm here." Toby stated.

Shaking her head, she replied, "That's not what I meant. I'm asking…why now? You know how long we've wanted you on our side. And for so long, you've turned us down. So what brings you here all of a sudden?"

He looked back and forth between both girls as he thought. Crap. He hadn't been expecting to be questioned. He figured they'd just be so glad that he wanted to join that they wouldn't care about his reasons.

"Are you really in a position to be asking questions like that, Montgomery?" He asked, quirking an eyebrow. "Maybe I should be asking _you _the questions." Licking his lips, he took a step towards her, "Like…what kind of sick, demented person would do this to her own God damn friends?" His voice raised in anger with each word.

Aria put her hand up, wincing at the volume of his question. Closing her eyes, she shook her head, "Fine. The Q&A portion is complete." She said, to which Toby let out a quiet sigh of relief.

Mona finally stepped forward, "I feel like it's courteous that we give you this simple warning, however." She said in her creepily calm voice, "We may not know your intentions for joining us, but you better believe if the boss finds out that they're anything but sincere?" She chuckled quietly, "I'm sure you're familiar with A's handiwork. Well, we're gonna call that amateur hour compared to what she'll do to you."

"_She?"_ Toby asked, blinking, "Who is she?" He asked, "Is she Big A? Who are you talking about?" He spoke almost frantically.

Mona laughed, rolling her eyes, "Slow your roll, Brooding boy." She purred, "Y'don't just get to know something like that on your first day." She shook her head with a sigh, "No, you have to earn information like that. It gives you something to work towards." She smiled before turning away, walking towards the closet.

Toby and Aria stood there, trading uncomfortable glances, as Mona came back, a black hoodie in hand. Stepping towards Toby, she handed it to him. "When you're on a mission, as we like to call them, you must be wearing this at all times. This is a big deal, you know. Getting your first black hoodie. It's like…a 12-year old girl getting her first bra or something." She smirked, glancing back at Aria, who rolled her eyes.

Speaking of Aria, the tiny brunette had since opened up a drawer and pulled out a cell phone. Walking back towards the other two, she gave him the device. "You'll also need this. It's unregistered, so it can't be tracked. _Do not _let it out of your sight. Do you hear me?"

Toby rolled his eyes and nodded his head, "Yes, ma'am." He answered sarcastically as he took the cell phone and slid it in his jeans pocket.

Mona clapped her hands together, a hint of excitement behind her eyes. "Okay. Now to the fun part. Your initiation." She smiled before looking towards Aria, "What do we have in store for Tobes?"

Aria tapped her finger to her chin in thought, pursing her lips. "I think we need to make him do something that will really prove his loyalty." She responded, nodding her head as she turned away.

Mona beamed, "She always has the best ideas." She said to Toby in a hushed tone, which only made Toby's dread rise.

Aria returned with a few items in her hands, putting it in a bag. "C'mon. You're coming with me." She ordered as she headed towards the door.

Toby turned to look at her, "What, I can't do this on my own? I'm a big boy. I don't need you to hold my hand."

Aria rolled her eyes, turning back to match his gaze, "We didn't get where we are by blindly trusting people. So, yes, I _do _need to be there to hold your hand, so to speak. Besides, who else is going to tell you what to do? Follow." She said simply as she walked out the door. Crunching footsteps from behind her indicated that Toby had begun walking as well.

The car ride started off quiet and awkward. It was as if they both had things they wanted, or maybe even needed, to say, but neither of them had the guts to speak. Aria finally broke the silence.

"I didn't want you to have to find out like this. I didn't want you to have to find out _at all._" She said quietly.

Toby didn't reply for a minute or two. Aria looked over at him from the corner of her eye, silently pleading with him to say something. When he didn't she spoke up again. "We all have our reasons for joining."

"Yeah, well, what reason do you have to do that to the girls you call your best friends?" He barked back, almost cutting her off. "I mean…" he trailed off, struggling to find the words, trying to make sense of the situation, "This whole time I thought you were a victim but…you were the one responsible all along." He scoffed mirthlessly.

Aria sighed, shaking her head, "I haven't been behind this the entire time. I was a victim, too. I still am! So is Mona. We…We work for A but we were never given full disclosure, either."

Toby couldn't help but laugh. "Wow, Aria. I thought you two were smarter than that. You say you don't go around blindly trusting people, but isn't that exactly what you're doing with…whoever this person who's calling the shots?"

"I told you. We have our reasons for joining. Just like you do." She retorted, attempting to hide her annoyance. "I'm not saying our reasons are similar, but we both did what we had to do to save someone. If…blindly trusting whoever's in charge means keeping ourselves or someone we love safe…then that's just what we have to do."

"So this 'person in charge'…do _you_ know who it is?" Toby finally asked after another quiet minute.

Aria hesitated, "I do." She responded, "Or at least I think I do. She's…big on games."

"She…" He repeated to himself, like he's still trying to figure out who 'she' is in his head, looking down quickly before glancing back up at her. "And you don't think that trusting her isn't dangerous to your own health?" He asked, "You don't think she'll…dispose of you when she's done with you?"

"Who said she'll ever be done with us?" She replied, her words sprinkled with misery.

By then, the car was pulling up to its destination. Toby had been so preoccupied with his conversation with Aria, that he hadn't even realized that they were at Spencer's house. He pulled his lips into a tight line, sitting up in his seat. He should've known that this is where they'd take him. He should've known that they'd use her to make him prove himself.

Toby sighed, "So what are you going to make me do?" He asked almost expectantly.

Aria kept her eyes forward, looking at the house, studying it. "Spencer has a very valuable necklace in her possession."

"The one her nana gave her." He filled in, his words flat and ominous, like he knew where Aria's words were headed.

"If I remember correctly, she has it in the jewelry box in her closet. I'm going to call Spencer and distract her. While she's out of her room, you're going to go in and take it. Cover your tracks. Leave no evidence that anyone was in there."

A look of confusion crossed Toby's face, "And…how do you expect me to get in without her noticing? Am I supposed to scale the house and climb through the window?"

Aria bent down, opening the bag she had brought with her, pulling out a set of keys. She singled out the one with a big S on it, and handed the set to him.

He took the keys, blinking incredulously as he looked at Aria, "You have keys…to their houses?" He asked in bewilderment.

"And cars." She replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Toby let out a long sigh, closing his eyes, "You guys are freakin' unbelievable."

"Thank you." Aria said with a proud smile, as she unzipped her black hoodie and took it off. She then pulled out her own personal cell phone and dialed Spencer's number. "Get out and get ready." She ordered quietly with a nod. Once Toby exited the car, Aria sped off, leaving a confused Toby in the dust. He quickly ran towards a bundle of bushes, where he would have perfect sight of Spencer's front door.

It felt like hours, but Spencer finally left the house. When Toby was sure it was safe, he quickly sprinted towards the front door, using the key Aria had given her to get in. His heart was pounding in his chest as he walked in. It was funny. He'd been in this house a hundred times before. But now, he felt weird being here without her knowing, without her permission, especially to do something so awful.

He quickly climbed the stairs up to Spencer's room, knowing he had to work fast. He didn't know how long Aria would be able to keep Spencer away. Thankfully, he was able to find the jewelry box in her closet rather quickly. Pulling out the necklace, he let out a heavy sigh, as shoved the chain into his pocket and hastily put the box back in its place before leaving the room and house, locking it up just how he left it.

"I got the necklace. Where r u?" He texted Aria from the A phone. He got a response not even a minute later.

"She's on her way back. Meet me in the woods behind her house."

Toby pulled his hood over his head, putting the phone back in his pocket as he raced towards Spencer's backyard, effortlessly climbing over the fence as he headed for the large tree that hung behind it. When he got there, he rested a hand against the trunk, bending down as he caught his breath.

Footsteps sounded from his right. A hint of paranoia overcame him as he slowly turned towards the location of the sound.

A soft sigh passed his lips when he saw Aria approaching him with her hoodie back on. "Now what?" He asked.

"Lemme see the necklace." She ordered when she got close enough.

He took the necklace out of his pocket and showed it to her, but quickly pulled it away when she reached for it.

Aria let out a scoff, "What the hell?"

"I think I'll hold onto this, if that's alright with you."

"Why?"

"Because I know how much this necklace means to her. And just because I'm on this team, doesn't mean I don't care about her. And it doesn't mean that I'll let anything happen to this necklace."

Aria pursed her lips in annoyance, rolling her eyes as she waved a dismissive hand at him. "Whatever. Keep the damn necklace. Let's get back to the car. We're not done yet." She said as she lead him back to where she parked.

They drove back to the lair, where Mona was waiting for them with a cup of coffee. "Get whatcha needed?" She asked as they walked back inside.

"You have to ask? Of course, we did." Aria replied cockily, closing the door behind her.

Mona raised her eyebrows with a smile, holding her hand out, "Well? Where is it?" She asked.

"I have it." Toby answered, "And it's staying with me."

Mona blinked, staring at Toby blankly as she dropped her hand. She looked at Aria, "Is he serious?"

Aria shrugged, "Apparently so."

The black-haired girl rolled her eyes, "You've gotta be kidding me." She muttered before sighing, "Fine then. We need to see it anyway. I need to take some pics to send to Spencer."

Toby reluctantly pulled the necklace out of his pocket once again, but he didn't hand it over. Instead, he followed Mona to where she was.

Mona picked up her phone, turning the camera on. "You think you can let go of that necklace for more than two seconds?" She asked him. "I need you to put it on the table so I can take the picture."

Sighing in frustration, Toby set the necklace down. Mona quickly snapped a few photos of the piece on her phone before handing it to Toby. "Here. Text Spencer and tell her that if she wants the necklace back, she's going to have to do a few things for us."

He took the phone, looking at Mona, "How do you want me to word it?" He asked.

"That's part two of your test." Mona answered, "You figure out what to say."

Toby rolled his eyes, "I think you're just using that as an excuse to make me do all the work." He said before opening up a new message to Spencer.

He sat down for a second, lost in thought. What kind of a monster was he? Was he really about to do this to his own girlfriend? No. He was doing this _for _her. He had to keep Spencer safe. It didn't seem to matter how many times he tried to justify what he was doing in his head, it didn't make him feel any better for doing it.

"Time's a wastin'." Mona said in an impatient tone.

Toby let his fingers move along the keys of the phone before he began to type.

_Such a pretty necklace. It belongs to you, right? Would hate to see something bad happen to it. –A_

"Don't send it yet." Mona instructed, holding her hand out, "I'd like to inspect it first."

Toby put the phone in her hand. He waited almost anxiously, watching her as she read it. After a long second, a pleased smile crossed Mona's face. "Nice job, Tobes. Definitely A-worthy." She nodded before pressing the green send button on the phone and shoving it back in the drawer. "You do good work, Cavanaugh. You'll definitely be as useful as we thought you'd be." Sighing, Mona grabbed her bag and put her hood over her head, "That's it for tonight. Keep that phone with you. We'll be contacting you very soon." She waved her fingers at both of them before turning on her heel and heading towards the door.

Aria was left alone with Toby once again, standing there in the middle of the room.

"I should get going." She finally said quietly as she began to leave, as well.

Toby, however, stayed in his place. "You never told me your reason, you know." He started, turning his body to face her. "For joining, that is."

Aria stopped at the door, "Neither did you."

"My reason's pretty obvious, isn't it?"

Her eyes moved up and down his body, "Good night, Toby." She said before opening the door, letting him out first. She wasn't about to let him stay in here by himself.

He stared at her first a second before looking down and walking past her out the door, two hoodies going up as they walked back out into the night.


End file.
